caused damage and it's still motoring north and there's more on the way. nbc's tom costello starts us off in chevy chase, maryland tonight. tom, good evening. >> good evening to you. in fact, the east coast has been struggling through drought conditions, but today it got hammered. it started out with heavy rain, then flash flood and tornado watches from the outer banks of north carolina all the way north to new jersey. it was the dead of night when howling winds and the heaviest rains in months swept through the mid-atlantic. flooding neighborhoods, homes, roads, and making a mess of the morning rush. in metro washington, it caused one city bus to slam into another, injuring 26 passengers, including eight high schoolers. >> neck pain, back pain, minor lacerations and abrasions. >> reporter: the d.c. area is expecting seven inches of rain by the time this moving out tonight. >> we've got many creeks and streams out of their banks. >> reporter: in myrtle beach, south carolina, the water has much to have city in a stand still. >> hopefully it will drain off in the next day or so, but right n